The Irish Jewish Museum in Dublin

The Irish Jewish Museum is a tourist attraction in Dublin (3-4 Walworth Road, Tel: 490-1857) and was established in 1985 in order to document the history of Jews in Ireland. Jews came as early as 1496. In 1555, for example, Mr. William Annyas was the Lord Mayor of the city of Youghal. There was a synagogue in 1660 and a cemetery in 1770 (Dublin). In the 1940s, 5500 Jews lived in Ireland, but today only 1200.

Many Jews became famous in Ireland: The Herzog family who made aliyah and the Briscoe family. Dr. Yitzhak Herzog was a famous Rabbi. His son was a famous general and the president of Israel. Robert Briscoe was a famous fighter for the Irish national independence and a friend of Zeev Jabotinsky who tried to rescue Jews and later became the first Jewish mayor of Dublin. His son Ben Briscoe, T.D. also was a mayor of Dublin.

Rabbi Gavin Broder is the Chief Rabbi of Ireland. There are two, the Orthodox (Tel: 0-492-3751) and the Progressive (Tel: 01-490-7605). The museum contains material of the last 150 years. The main Jewish communities which are represented: Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Derry, Limerich, and Waterford.

Return to Travel Archives Back to Top